A/N:- I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to get out, I had writer's block.
7th November 1551: Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
"Is everything ready for the Princess Elizabeth's arrival?" Mary Fitzroy, nee Howard, Dowager Duchess of Richmond and Somerset asked.
"Yes, My Lady," Frances Johnson replied. Mary nodded "Good. Now, fetch the rest of the Princess's ladies. They will need to be here when she arrives."
Frances Johnson rushed off to fetch the ladies who would be serving the Princess Elizabeth. Along with herself, and Lady Fitzroy, there was Frances Vaughn, Gabriella Shelton, Anne Knyvett, nee Shelton and Amy Shelton. The Comptroller of the Household was to be Henry Parker, a strapping young man, aged twenty, and the heir to the baronetcy of Morley.
The royal carriage, containing the Princess, pulled up.
Here you are, my Lady Princess. Hatfield House. Your new home." Ambrose Dudley swung down off the box of the carriage and opened the door to let the little girl he was driving out, bowing low as she passed him and taking her hand to help her down the steps of the carriage. Lady Mary Fitzroy approached "Thank You, Ambrose. Will you be returning to Court immediately?"
Ambrose shook his head. "I am to stay, until tomorrow, to see the Princess settled and then I must go back. After all, King Robert and Queen Elizabeth will want to hear how Bessie takes to her new home."
"Yes. Of course they will." Mary nodded. All of a sudden, she felt a young hand touch her sleeve. Looking down, she realised that the Princess wanted her attention.
"Yes, Your Highness? Shall we go inside and find your new rooms?"
Bessie shook her head. "Can we just see the gardens first, Mary? You, me and Lady Amy?"
Mary was about to refuse, when something in the Princess's manner, as she stood there in her travelling gown of dark brown velvet and her long cloak of white rabbits fur, stopped her. Glancing over her shoulder at Lady Amy Shelton, one of Bessie's favourite Ladies in waiting, she signed to her to join them and then looked up at her brother. "Can you see to it that the Princess's trunks are taken up to her rooms?"
"I will." Ambrose assured her, and so the three of them set off into the gardens, Bessie a pace or two ahead of her companions as protocol required. For once, she was quiet, as she had been for most of the journey, and Mary began to wonder whether she was all right. She'd barely touched her breakfast before she left that morning, even though the cooks had made her favourite scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, which was very unlike her. She knew this, because Ambrose had written ahead.
Whispering to Lady Amy "I'm not sure she's all right." she hurried to catch up the Princess, who, now that they weren't in the courtyard, with the eyes of her full household upon them, suddenly stopped and put her hand on Mary's skirts. "Mary? Do my Mama and Papa love me?"
"What? Of course they do, Princess!" Mary exclaimed. "You know they do. Didn't the Queen just invest you with the title of Marquess of Boleyn and Rochford, formally in front of the Court?"
"Yes, but then she sent me away. Why did she do that if she loved me?" Bessie asked, as Lady Amy came within earshot. Amy knelt down in front of the Princess, and gently reached out to touch the little girl's shoulder. "She didn't do it because she doesn't love you, My Lady Princess. She did it because she loves you."
"But I don't understand. She sent me away. Was it because I'm a girl, and won't be Queen after her?" Bessie persisted. Amy nodded "Yes. I know it sounds strange, but the thing is, it's not because you're a girl. It's -" Amy took a deep breath before continuing, choosing her next words with care. "Princess, the fact that your mother is still giving you a household of your own proves that she views you as the next Queen of France, my Lady - due to your future marriage to the Duke of Orléans. It's an honour, trust me."
"But…what if I'm lonely?" Bessie looked up at both Mary and Amy as she spoke, but it was Mary who answered.
"Don't worry, you won't be. Your father will see to that. He's going to arrange for children of people he trusts to come and live with you soon. Like his little sister, your aunt, Temperance. If you ever have any sisters or female cousins, they'll come and live with you too. You see? You won't be lonely. Now come on, let's go and find your rooms. It's getting late and we've had a long day."
"All right." Bessie smiled slightly, and slipped her hand into Lady Amy's as the latter straightened up.
Mary smiled down at her little charge and fell into step beside them as they left the gardens.
"Is she asleep?" Ambrose Dudley looked up from the book he was reading as his sister-in-law opened the door and came into the sitting room, sinking into a chair before the fire with a sigh. Mary nodded "Yes. At last."
"Leaving her mother and father is hard for her, isn't it?"
"Yes. Well, I mean, it's only to be expected. She is their only Princess, and she hasn't been away from them before. Ever."
"That's true. But Princesses have to grow up fast, Mary. You can't baby her just because she's been taken away from her mother and father."
"I know, I know. I won't. But I will let her be a child before she's forced into a marriage as an English dynastic pawn. I don't care if she's a Princess of England and future Duchess of Orléans. She's still just a little girl, and I want to let her be that little girl no matter what."
Ambrose chuckled. His sister-in-law was so fierce as she spoke about her little charge that he almost believed that she could be her mother, not just her Lady Governess. Mary smiled "Bessie is a Princess, yes, but she is a girl first. I will let her be a child first!"
Ambrose glanced down to his book, and then back up to Mary and they both gave small laughs of delight for Ambrose cared for his neice, and Mary cared for her neice too... They may have been from two opposing families, but the Princess's happiness, it seemed, was the one thing that they could agree on.
Meanwhile, the Princess Bessie wasn't asleep. She had only been pretending so that Mary would leave her alone. Throwing back the blankets, she slipped out of bed and went across to the window. By standing on a stool, and straining her eyes, she could just make out the parks that stretched all around her new home. They would be fun to explore. Maybe she would learn to ride here. If she was old enough to be sent away from home, she was old enough to learn to ride. Well, that's what she'd tell Mary anyway.
"Yes." Bessie thought, as she turned from the window and went back to bed. "I could have fun here. As long as I see Mama and Papa soon, I could learn to like living here."
8th November 1551: Whitehall Palace, England
Robert, Guilford, Henry and Ambrose walked down the stairs at the end of the hallway.
"We're all married now," Ambrose began "When did we stop being boys and become men?"
"When King Edward died," Robert replied, looking back to his three brothers as he stopped. Twelve year old Edward Herbert was stood in front of him. He bowed and spoke "Your Majesty. The Queen wishes to see you. She wishes to discuss the tutoring of Prince Edward."
"Urgh." Henry Dudley groaned, quietly. He had stopped at the top of the stairs.
Robert walked around Edward Herbert, who turned to him. Robert smiled, and spoke "Tell the Queen I will be there shortly."
Henry Dudley collapsed to the floor, and fell down a few of the stairs.
"Henry!" Robert was by his brother's side in an instant. Resting Henry's head in his lap, he moved Henry's fringe out of his face, and gasped. Henry had gone bright red in the face, and was struggling to breath. Robert glanced up to Edward Herbert "Fetch Doctor López, quickly!" Edward Herbert nodded and ran off down the hall.
Robert looked up to Ambrose and Guilford. "Ambrose, go and check on the family. Make sure that everyone is alright. Guilford, check on the Queen and Prince Edward."
"Yes, Your Majesty." They both bowed and left.
"Come on, Henry. Stay with me." Robert begged his brother, as he refused to take his eyes off of his brother. Henry gave a small smile to Robert.
Edward Herbert returned a few moments later. Doctor López was following him.
"Put him in his chambers." Dr López began "I can work better from there."
Robert nodded, lifted Hery into his arms, and carried him to his chambers.
To Be Continued
Review please.